An endoscope is a medical device that is used to examine a body cavity or interior surfaces of an organ or tissue. The endoscope includes a long, thin tube with a light and a video camera that may be inserted into a body, such as through a natural opening like a mouth or rectum, and directed through the body to the anatomy of interest for a medical professional. The endoscope may have one or more channels adapted for receiving a guidewire to assist in navigating the endoscope through cavities and passages in the body to examine a desired area.
A guidewire associated with an endoscope may have an angled distal end to assist in guiding the endoscope through channels of the body and reduce or prevent damage to inner walls surrounding the cavities or narrow channels as the endoscope passes through. During transport and storage prior to use of the guidewire in a medical procedure, an angled tip guidewire may have the tendency to straighten out due to the elastic recovery or loss of shape memory of the wire. For example, a 30° angle on an angled guidewire may relax to a 12° angle over the course of a shelf life of 1-5 years. Guidewires may be designed to navigate through the body at particular angles, and if these angles are not maintained prior to use, this may cause discomfort for the patient or difficulty for a medical professional to guide the endoscope through narrow channels in the body, for example.
Thus, what is needed is a device for maintaining the set angle or shape of the distal, end of the guidewire, such as during transport and storage, preventing the tip of the guidewire from puncturing or otherwise damaging additional packaging surrounding the guidewire and device, maintaining sterilization of the guidewire until the device is removed prior to use of the guidewire, protecting a distal tip of a guidewire, or any combination thereof.